Season 5 of Once Upon a Time continues with an episode focused on Belle’s ability to make those around her connect with their best selves as she helps both Rumple and Merida face their fears in order to protect the ones they love. Meanwhile, the heroes try to contact Merlin and Emma turns to an unlikely person for help. But though several people achieve their goals by the end of the episode, no one seems that happy with the results. Take a look back at the most notable moments from episode 6. For more on what happened, check out the recap.
#21 Merida and Lancelot are Freed
Merlin helps Charming, Belle and Hook break into the Camelot dungeons to find Lancelot. They also find Merida down there. With help from Belle, Merlin is able to break the magic on their cells in order to release them.
#20 They Need a Chosen One
Regina wants to use the Crimson Crown to communicate with Merlin but not just anyone can summon him. Merlin will only appear to someone he has chosen. Charming assumes this means Arthur but Belle suggests they forget about trying to reach Merlin altogether, since they can just ask Rumple for help. The others are not willing to bet Emma’s future on the former Dark One so Belle decides to go after Rumple on her own. I am always excited when Belle gets to play an active role in an episode. This does not happen as often as it should.
#19 Rumple Breaks the Chipped Cup
I imagine many fans are upset about this, but Rumple has to find some way to escape from the binds Merida put on him and the cup is right there. I am sure Rumple can just magic it back together later on.
#18 Merida Kidnaps Belle
In Camelot, Merida is still determined to save her brothers. Upon seeing how knowledgeable Belle is about magic, Merida decides Belle could be the key to saving her loved ones. So when the others are out of sight, Merida knocks Belle out and takes her away.
#17 Emma Orders Merida to Kill Belle
Dark One Emma thinks Rumple will find his bravery if Belle’s life is in danger so she uses Merida’s heart to order her to put an arrow through Belle’s.
#16 Merida Opens Up to Belle
On the way to DunBroch, Merida tells Belle that after her father was killed, the clans exiled her mother and kidnapped her brothers to force her to relinquish her crown. All because she refused to marry one of them and they did not think she could rule on her own. I know that Merida does not know these people well, but since they saved her from the dungeons, she could have just asked Belle for help instead of kidnapping her. But that’s not Merida’s way, as she explains to Belle when Belle makes that exact point.
#15 Rumple Finds Belle
Rumple manages to make his way out of the forest and over to the library, right where Belle happens to be. Upon seeing his beloved again, Rumple tells Belle that she is the reason he decided to keep fighting while he was in his coma. Rumple goes on to tell his ex that Emma wanted him to escape so she could use Belle against him. Rumple thinks if they can get to his shop, they can use the magic there to protect themselves. The scenes between these two in this episode are very good.
#14 How Does One Change Fate?
Merida and Belle break into a witch’s home in order to use her cauldron. Via the cauldron, Merida learns where her brothers are being held hostage. Also through the magical cauldron, she hears the clansmen talk about taking her crown from her by force and executing her brothers by day’s end. Belle promises Merida that they will save her brothers and Merida gets the idea to do so by changing fate. I am sure this would make more sense if I had actually seen Brave.
#13 Emma Needs Zelena’s Help
Emma poofs Zelena out of her cell because she is the only one who has wielded Merlin’s magic and lived to tell the tale. Emma needs her help and, in exchange, Emma is willing to make Zelena’s freedom a permanent thing and protect her from anyone who might want to harm her. Zelena teases Emma about her recent dark deeds and turns down her deal. Rebecca Mader has gotten little screen-time so far this season but she certainly makes the most of what she is given.
#12 Does Merida Need Magic to Save Her Brothers?
Belle makes a potion for Merida that will turn her into a bear because Merida thinks it will make her strong enough to save her brothers. Belle does not think Merida needs magic to change her fate, just her wit and her archery skills.
#11 Arthur Deceives Everyone…Again
Arthur plays our Storybrooke characters and gets them to leave him alone while he contacts Merlin. But instead of reaching out to Merlin, Arthur throws the magical toadstool in the fire and claims the spell did not work. Why do people keep trusting this guy? I know our characters do not remember their time in Camelot, but what makes them think Arthur is trustworthy? Even putting aside Arthur’s obvious shadiness, these people have spent forever searching for Merlin. You would think they’d insist on speaking to the man themselves rather than relying on Arthur to get them the answers they need.
#10 Merida Tries and Fails to Kill Belle
Merida tracks Belle and Rumple to his shop and aims to kill Belle, but Belle outsmarts her and Rumple says he has a plan to keep them safe.
#9 Merida Blames Herself for Her Father’s Death
Merida tells Belle that her father died because she failed to kill the enemy who was coming toward him in battle. Belle tries to get Merida to forgive herself but Merida says the clans lost faith in her that day. Apparently, she lost faith in herself, as well.
#8 Belle Leaves Rumple
Rumple’s plan involves taking them out of Storybrooke in order to get away from Emma and Merida. Belle refuses to leave town while people she cares about are still in danger. Belle says running never made anyone a hero but Rumple tells her that he is a coward and that will never change. He tries to convince her to leave with him, but Belle marches back into town on her own.
#7 Merida Turns into a Bear
#6 Belle Gets Merida to Be Brave
Despite turning into a bear in present-day Storybrooke, when Merida takes the potion to rescue her brothers, nothing happens. Belle tells Merida that she switched the potion with water so Merida would have to defeat the clans not as a bear but as their Queen. Even without turning into a bear, Merida manages to best the clans and save her brothers. This is a very risky move on Belle’s part. Imagine how she would have felt if Merida failed. And I find it amusing that these are Merida’s “wee” brothers, yet they are all giants compared to her.
#5 Rumple Finds His Courage
Bear-Merida tries to kill Belle but Rumple shows up to stop her. This is the one time he will not run away. He manages to transform Merida back into a human before she can eat him. Belle thanks Rumple for saving her, but he says it was the other way around. This is a good episode for Rumbelle fans.
#4 Merlin Gives Emma a Warning
Merlin gets Emma to remember that time he posed as an usher and visited her in a movie theater so she will recall his warning about Excalibur. Now that she has the Darkness within her, he says it is more important than ever that she leave Excalibur alone. In the last episode, didn’t Merlin say he could free Emma from the Darkness if she wanted him to? What happened to that plan? Did she tell him she was not ready to let go of her new power or is there some other reason he has not tried to release her from the Darkness yet? And why did he bother to appear to her back then if he was just going to give her the same warning again years later?
#3 Merida Gets Her Heart Back
Rumple makes a deal with Dark One Emma. He will pull Excalibur from the stone but only if she returns Merida’s heart first. Emma agrees to his terms.
#2 Rumple Pulls the Sword from the Stone
Though Emma has won the day, Rumple tells her that she made a mistake in turning him into a hero because now he will be going up against her.
#1 What Did the Dark One Do to Merlin?
Charming finds the discarded toadstool and they realize that Arthur lied to them. It is then that Regina remembers that there is one other person who can communicate with Merlin — the Author. Henry casts the spell but instead of speaking to Merlin himself, they get a message he left for them. He tells them that the only person who can help them now is Nimue. He disappears, apparently because the Dark One has found him, before he can tell them anything else. Is Emma the Dark One who found Merlin or could it have been a previous version of the Dark One, perhaps the one we saw put Merlin in his tree prison all those years ago?
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
